2N47 - Cleghorn Ridge Highlights

Cleghorn Ridge is located near beautiful Lake Silverwood, offering spectacular views overseeing the lake and the San Bernardino National Forest. This trail is great for those looking for a day of adventure. Mostly a graded fire road that any vehicle can pass through, it also offers optional difficult routes for those looking for a more challenging trail. Nearby food, gas, and camping make this an ideal trip for a family weekend. This trail has a rating of "6" which is based off the optional routes, the main trail is easily rated at a "2" and passable by a 2WD SUV or truck.

Technical rating: (6) Moderate

Quite rocky or deep ruts. Rocks to 12" and frequent. Water crossings may exceed hub depth with strong currents. Shelves to 6". Mud may require checking before proceeding. Moderate grades to 20 degrees. Sidehill may approach 30 degrees. 4WD necessary and second attempts may be required with stock vehicles. Caution may be required with wider vehicles.

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Directions to Trailhead

West Entrance:
From Riverside county, take I15 north to Cleghorn road exit located about 5 miles north of the I15/I215 interchange. After exiting the freeway turn right onto the Cleghorn road and you will immediately come up to a forestry service gate and the pavement will turn to dirt, this is the trailhead.

East Entrance:
From Riverside county take I15 north to HWY138 East. Follow HWY138 east for about 9.4 miles, you will come up to a scenic viewing area of Lake Silverwood on your left, and almost directly across from it on your right will be a dirt road, this is the trailhead for Cleghorn.

Trailhead GPS Coordinates:

34° 18' 1.66"N117° 20' 13.7"W

Topo Maps:

GPS Exchange File:

Route Description

Cleghorn Ridge (2N47) is located near Lake Silverwood. It offers thrills and challenges for all skill levels and off road vehicle types. The main trail is just a graded fire road that is passable by even a high clearance 2WD truck or SUV, however there are multiple optional routes about every .5miles along the way that range from medium to most difficult trail ratings. None of these optional routes are very long and all lead back to the main fire road. While none of these routes are "extreme" they are definitely difficult. Due to a recent Wildlife Rehabilitation most of the optional trails on the west end of the trail are now closed. So, for this reason we recommend traveling East to West for a more entertaining day.

Cleghorn is very popular for the Dirtbike, ATV, and UTV crowd so, please, keep an eye out for them on the trail as there are lots of blind switch back turns. Passing areas are not an issue however and most of the trail is wide enough for two way traffic.

1:
East Trailhead

The east end trailhead for Cleghorn is located off Highway 138 roughly 1 mile east of Highway 173. There is available parking for small groups on the dirt area directly at the trail head, or for large groups there is a big parking area across the highway for a nearby hiking trail.

2:
Difficult Route 1

Not far into 2N47 you will run across your first fork in the road, a left will lead you to the first "Most Difficult" rated side road. Passable by a high clearance 4WD with low range, this one isn't too bad. Towards the end where it meets up with 2N47 there are some rocks to navigate around so choose your line wisely if you don't have much ground clearance.

3:
Tip Over Challenge

The action starts quick running Cleghorn east to west. Unofficially named "Tip Over Challenge", you can see as to why it's been getting this name! This is the first turn off the main fire road that is marked as "Most Difficult". Once you enter Tip Over Challenge you'll have two choices: go left and you'll be catching some air time right away, go right and you can skip the 37" tire swallowing ruts for a short while but then you have no choice but to dive right in. A few rocks scattered here and there as you round the corner and start climbing up the trail lay ahead.

4:
Cleghammer II

The original Cleghammer was on the west side of the trail but due to heavy fires followed by heavy rain the Forest Service has closed that route to rehabilitate the area. It was a very rutted and very very rocky section of Cleghorn. Now closed, Cleghammer II has taken its name. Most say that the new Cleghammer is harder than the old one and I would have to agree. Large rocks and very off camber areas make this by far the most difficult section of the entire trail.

5:
The Big V

After getting through Cleghammer, you'll come up to this split. Follow the heavily rutted trail on the right and crawl your way up the Big-V. The Big-V is exactly that, a long deep V-Notch cut through some heavy brush. About 3/4 of the way up you'll come up to a large rock face that you'll have to go up. Between the v-notch and the steep step up from the rocks, it's easy to get your axles crossed up and catch some air time with one tire. Slow and steady is the name of the game here; lots of traction but one wrong move and you've got a long way down.

6:
Big Rut

After coming out of the Big-V, you will find yourself in front of an obstacle. With no name, and ever changing conditions, it's hard to say what it will look like when you arrive. But due to recent heavy rains the rut has been cut out extremely deep, as most others on the trail are right now. For those not willing to dive in, the trail is wide enough to go around it. It's a fun, flexy crawl but watch your passenger front tire placement as you creep over that rock. There is a big hole in front of it that will send the back of your Jeep air born if you don't ride the wall.

7:
Continue Straight

As you exit the Big Rut you will come to an intersection with 2N47's main Fire Road. Continue straight ahead to stay on the "optional" hard routes.

8:
Rocky Hill

Once you crest the top of the trail you will encounter one of the few areas of Cleghorn with large rocks. These ledges are notorious for jarring your teeth out if you slide off them. The unforgiving rocks have given quite a few rear bumpers some battle scars.

9:
Ridge Runner

After coming down the Rocky Hill, you'll hop back on to 2N47 fire road for about a mile until you come up to Ridge Runner, on your right. Literally cut on the ridge of the trail, it's a quick climb up and back down to 2N47 with a few twisties in-between to get the axles crossed up.

10:
Heavy Brush Tunnel

After coming down Ridge Runner you'll cross right over 2N47. Continuing straight you will start up a very green area, the trail is cut deep into the earth so you'll have walls of dirt on each side of the Jeep about 2-3ft high. On top of that there is thick brush that, at certain times of the year, will create a tunnel as they start to connect over the top of the Jeep's. It starts to climb almost right away with lots of off camber sideways fun. Once you reach the top there are some rock outcropping that can be challenging to open differential vehicles, but not impossible.

11:
Optional Rut

As with many areas in Cleghorn, there is another huge rut cut into the trail here. Completely optional, but suitable for all rigs.

12:
Stay Left

Stay left after you come back to 2N47 to continue on the optional hard route. This will bring you up high where you can get some good views.

13:
The Chute

The "Chute" got its name from most people coming down it. Depending on which direction your traveling, some people say feels like falling down a laundry chute! On this day we were traveling east to west so we went up it. You will definitely need high clearance here, it's a 3 foot vertical climb on the drivers side so long wheelbase vehicles beware. Just past the first climb you'll come up to another rocky, but now, super off-camber climb that will quickly send your front bumper pointing to the sky as seen in the 3rd picture. Once you reach 2N47, turn left to continue traveling west. You'll notice at this point you will be staying on 2N47 for quite a while until the next way point, this is due to a Wildlife Rehabilitation project that has closed down the majority of the west side hard routes. Please remember to tread lightly and stay on the designated routes.

14:
Cleghammer

After about 3-4 miles of winding down 2N47 you'll come to this intersection. On your left you'll find what used to be the original Cleghammer now fenced off. To stay on the optional hard route go right, although this section is not that hard it is still worth going on. Offering some spots to twist up your suspension while also keeping you up high on the ridge line, the views of the Cajon Pass are great. Typically you can spot the trains running along I-15 that stretch for miles. Once you reach 2N47 go right to continue traveling west. You'll have about 5 miles of scenic switch backs on 2N47 fire road before reaching the end.

15:
Trail End

The west trailhead (or end, depending on your direction of travel) is directly off I-15 one mile south of the HWY138/I-15 intersection. There is lots of room and even shade under the freeway overpass to air up and get the rigs highway ready again. Go north just one mile off HWY138 for the nearest gas station and food options.

Questions & Answers

Trip Reports

Offroaded on
12-30-2017

Status:
Open

Conditions:
Dry

Low Temperature:
58° F

High Temperature:
71° F

We had a great time doing Cleghorn. This was my second time on the trail, and my first time tackling "The Chute." Big ruts and a fair amount of off camber areas are what make this such a fun trail. Your rig will get a workout in terms of full flex. The trail can change quite a bit from one trip to the next. Some might feel like the more difficult sections on Cleghorn deserve a 7 rating instead of a 6, especially going backwards (the way indicated by Trailsoffroad...east to west) especially up The Chute. Great trail for all levels of experience since virtually every offshoot is optional.

Official Crew

Offroaded on
12-29-2017

Status:
Open

Conditions:
Sunny

Low Temperature:
65° F

High Temperature:
75° F

We completed Cleghorn Ridge going the opposite direction as noted here; basically, west to east. We took all of the difficult routes and had a great time. There were a few trails closed near the beginning for restoration, but for the most part, all of the more difficult trails are still open.

Offroaded on
10-17-2017

Offroaded on
03-04-2017

Status:
Open

Conditions:
Dry

Low Temperature:
75° F

High Temperature:
80° F

FUn, easy & close to home. Stock rigs did this with no problems at all. Just make sure you watch out for dirt bikers as they seem to run in to your brand new truck, and then try to flee with out exchanging proper information....Other then that, its an awesome beginner trail

Offroaded on
01-15-2017

Status:
Open

Conditions:
Wet

Low Temperature:
42° F

High Temperature:
55° F

A friend and I decided to head up Cleghorn Ridge to see if we would have access to some snow. Unfortunately there wasn't any, but the area was really wet and muddy. There are some signs of erosion due to the couple of storms that we have had in the past weeks. They don't pose a threat to the trail. On some areas the mud is about 8 inches deep which might be an issue for 2wd vehicles. Other than that you have that nice cool breeze with the smell of wet soil. Posted a picture of the aftermath of the trail.

Offroaded on
04-03-2016

Status:
Open

Conditions:
Dry

On this day my wife and I enjoyed the challenge of 21 miles of off-road terrain, which took 4.5 hours to complete. Met some great people, and distributed tracts to fellow off-roaders. “Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth” (Proverbs 5:18).

Official Crew

Offroaded on
03-13-2016

Status:
Open

Conditions:
Cloudy

My son and I headed up to Cleghorn to do some wheeling. The last time we had been up here was in November 2015, before what little rain we got. There seems to be more ruts on the fire road due to rain, but nothing too bad. We also ran most option trails and they didn't seem to have much runoff damage. All and all the road and option trail are in good shape.

Official Crew

Offroaded on
08-18-2015

Status:
Open

Ran up to Cleghorn last night for a pre run of the trail to check conditions and access for 4x4 training class I'm hosting this weekend. Glad to report that even after a huge fire, the area of the trail is completely fine! We just blasted through the fire road and checked all entrance and exits of the option side trails, all legal trails are open. Overall the trails looks great with no trash and no burn areas. Stay safe and remember to TreadLightly!

Also if interested on an off road tour of off road training check out my website at www.SCORschool.com

Official Crew

Offroaded on
07-05-2015

Status:
Open

On our recent visit to Cleghorn, we took our newly acquired Nissan Xterra Pro-4x, with 32" tires, a rear locker, and fancy traction control working the front axle all from the factory and felt confident enough to tackle all of the optional difficult trails. We made it unassisted throughout the entire trail with some creative line choices on a few specific obstacles where ground clearance could prove to be an issue. Unfortunately we did end up going home with some rock rash on rocker panel, but nothing a new set of sliders wont cover up! Along with us came a few more modified rigs which had zero issues with the trail but still had an awesome time. Due to the large off-camber ruts, Cleghorn will test your suspension flex to its limits, and for me in my bone stock Xterra it tested my 3 wheel balancing abilities as well!